Britain revises travel advice

Britain revises travel advice

BRITAIN: Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Monday the
government would only advise against traveling to a country
affected by terrorism if the threat was "extreme and imminent."

The Foreign Office has held an internal review of the advice
it offers travelers. It was criticized for not upgrading warnings
against travel to Indonesia before the nightclub bombings in
Bali, but has also been accused of damaging the tourist trade in
countries such as Kenya.

Straw said it was important to strike a balance between
protecting British nationals and causing unnecessary disruption.

"When the threat is acute, it will inevitably lead to some
disruption in travel in the interests of public safety," Straw
said in a statement to the House of Commons. "But at the same
time we must make sure we do not do the terrorists' work for them
by causing too much of the disruption which they seek." --AP